“She’s datingyou?” He gave me a skeptical once-over before sliding another book into place. “Pull the other leg. It plays ‘Jingle Bells.’?”
This little fuckhead.
“I need to know about the weird guy you said had this before Helena came looking for it.” I held the book up again.
“Prove it,” said the kid, examining the spine of another book before sliding it onto the shelf between two others.
I frowned. “Prove what?”
“If you’re Hart’s boyfriend, prove it, and I’ll tell you who had the book.”
Prove it? “How the fuck am I supposed to do that?”
“Not my problem.”
Not his…?
I cricked my neck, the fingers of one hand curling into a fist and uncurling. I could give him a soul shakedown like I had the otherlibrary asshole, but hewasstill a kid and technically out of my jurisdiction anyway. Also, he was Helena’s friend or whatever.
Astrally ass kicking an ex was one thing. Soul snapping a friend would probably be frowned upon.
“She’s borrowing my car,” I said.
“Oh,” said Hunter, “sothat’swhere she got the meathead mobile.”
I took a step toward him, and he dropped his book, skittering back. “You stop right there,” he said, pointing at me with one hand while he shoved his other into a back pocket and brought out his phone.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I asked, spreading my arms as he started to dial. “Are you seriously calling the cops?”
“Kind of,” he said, lifting the phone to his ear.
I put my hands on my hips and waited, but then I caught a familiar voice on the other end saying, “Hello?”
Fuck. He called Helena.
“Hart, I need you in the stacks, stat. Eight hundreds. Your stalker—I mean boyfriend—is trying to bad-cop info out of me about that book you had me scare up. Speaking of scaring things up, he’s sus as hell, and I need backup yesterday. Bring security.”
“What?” came Helena’s voice in a high-pitched buzz, which had me shutting my eyes. Because I’d been trying to do this without her. “I’ll be right there.Don’tlet him leave—whatever you do.”
Be right there? She wasn’t supposed to be working.
“Um, yeah, about that,” said Hunter into the phone as his eyes cut my way. “Can you just, uh, stay on the line with me? Your boy is a little too Blumhouse Productions for my comfort. Bottom line, the vibes arewayoff, and I really don’t feel sa—”
He blinked at me, lowering the phone before swallowing hard and stating what I’d already gathered. “She hung up.”
“She’s not supposed to be working tonight,” I said.
“You just keep saying creepy shit, don’t you?” Hunter noted.
“Just tell me who asked for the book, and I’ll leave,” I said. “It’s important.”
“What’s your problem, anyway, man?” asked Hunter, gesturing toward me. “How are you gonna wear a Dungeon Druids T-shirt same time as a Thornz on Fire shoulder patch on your jacket?”
Both were metal bands. Admittedly, I was impressed this kid knew of either of them.
The two groups had beef—a fierce and ongoing rivalry I didn’t particularly give a fuck about. I just came for the music. And, when it was time, the souls.
“Guess you could say I’m no respecter of persons,” I said.
